U.S. men's national team left back Antonee Robinson said he feels "lucky" to have an in-demand head coach like Mauricio Pochettino, who has been heavily linked with the Manchester United managerial position.
Multiple reports have said Pochettino is the leading candidate for the job at Old Trafford, which technically is not yet vacant amid reports that Michael Carrick will soon be sacked.
For now, Pochettino is still in charge of the USMNT ahead of a two-leg Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal against Haiti, with matches set for Saturday, Nov. 14 and Tuesday, Nov. 17.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Nov. 10, Robinson said he learned about the Manchester United rumors along with the general public, but tried to put a positive spin on the uncertainty
the USMNT is currently facing.
"That news got sprung on all of us like the rest of the world," Robinson said. "Similar things have happened in the past after the World Cup where huge teams lose a manager and they start looking at possible candidates. For us to have a manager who gets linked to those sorts of jobs means we're very lucky we're working with a top-level manager.
"But that never seems to leak into the work we do, whether it's the World Cup or whether it's this camp."
Prior to the World Cup, Pochettino admitted that his representatives met with AC Milan to discuss the Italian club's coaching vacancy. He has also spoken openly multiple times about his desire to return to the club game, particularly the Premier League.
But after leading the USMNT to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, Pochettino signed a new four-year contract with U.S. Soccer through the 2030 World Cup.
Still, the Argentine admitted after signing the deal that he could potentially leave before his new contract is up.
Robinson said that he and his teammates have to deal with coaching turnover for both club and country, and needed to focus on the task at hand until anything changes with the USMNT's coaching situation.
"As a soccer player, I'm pretty used to sort of fast-changing environments," he said. "So we're all very good at just focusing on the next task at hand and the next game coming up. And for me personally, I don't really look at him being in limbo with jobs. ... It's just focusing on we've got a game for the weekend and I'm going to do everything I can to be ready to play for him."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USMNT player feels 'lucky' Mauricio Pochettino in demand amid Man United links
